Blood chemistry changes in broiler chickens following supplementation with Cinnamomum zeylanicum

A study was conducted to investigate the effects of different doses of Cinnamomum zeylanicum in diet on blood biochemistry of broiler chickens. Thirty two, 1-d old male broiler chickens of a commercial strain ROSS 308 were distributed into groups of 8 birds in each one. The chicks received the diets from the day of hatching to 38 d of age. The four types of diets included basal diets for chicks (HYD 01, HYD 02 and HYD 03) supplemented by 0%, 0.1%, 0.05 and 0.025% cinnamon (Cinnamomi aetheroleum of Cinnamomum zeylanicum, Calendula a.s., Nová L'ubovña, Slovakia). Continuous lighting and water and feed ad libitum were provided throughout the trial. The addition of cinnamon to the diets caused a significantly lower plasma glucose level and the effects of cinnamon on plasma glucose levels tended to be dose-dependent. Dietary intake of 0.05 and 0.025% cinnamon reduced serum ALT and plasma potassium levels. Ingestion of cinnamon, however, resulted in no significant changes in circulating calcium, albumin, triglycerides, free glycerol and cholesterol levels. It was concluded that cinnamon could be used not only for flavor and taste in food preparation but it had an additional role in glucose metabolism in broiler chickens

Autonomous Robot Controller Using Bitwise GIBBS Sampling

International audienceIn the present paper we describe a bio-inspired non von Neumann controller for a simple sensorimotor robotic system. This controller uses a bitwise version of the Gibbs sampling algorithm to select commands so the robot can adapt its course of action and avoid perceived obstacles in the environment. The VHDL specification of the circuit implementation of this controller is based on stochastic computation to perform Bayesian inference at a low energy cost. We show that the proposed unconventional architecture allows to successfully carry out the obstacle avoidance task and to address scalability issues observed in previous works

Design of Stochastic Machines Dedicated to Approximate Bayesian inferences

International audienceWe present an architecture and a compilation toolchain for stochastic machines dedicated to Bayesian inferences. These machines are not Von Neumann and code information with stochastic bitstreams instead of using floating point representations. They only rely on stochastic arithmetic and on Gibbs sampling to perform approximate inferences. They use banks of binary random generators which capture the prior knowledge on which the inference is built. The output of the machine is devised to continuously sample the joint probability distribution of interest. While the method is explained on a simple example, we show that our machine computes a good approximation of the solution to a problem intractable in exact inference

Rapid measurement of tacrolimus in whole blood by paper spray-tandem mass spectrometry (PS-MS/MS)

Background Liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) provides sensitivity and specificity for monitoring tacrolimus drug level in blood, but it requires an LC system and sample preparation, which is not amenable to random access testing typical of immunoassays. Paper spray (PS) ionization generates gas phase analyte ions directly from dried blood spots without sample preparation and LC. We evaluated a PS-MS/MS method for tacrolimus drug monitoring in a clinical diagnostic laboratory. Methods Whole blood sample was mixed with stable isotope labeled internal standard ([13C, 2H2]-FK506) and spotted onto a cartridge containing triangular shaped card paper. After drying, samples were analyzed by PS MS/MS in the selected reaction monitoring (SRM) mode, with a run time of 3 min/sample. Results Analytical measurement range was 1.5–30 ng/ml. Assay inter-day imprecision was 13%, 8%, and 5% at tacrolimus concentrations of 4.5, 10.5, and 24.5 ng/ml, respectively. Accuracy was determined by pure tacrolimus solution and was confirmed by result correlation to an immunoassay (slope = 1.0, intercept = − 0.02; r2 = 0.99), and to a conventional LC-MS/MS method (slope = 0.90, intercept = 0.4; r2 = 0.94). Conclusions PS-MS/MS provides accurate results for tacrolimus with rapid turnaround time amenable to random access testing protocols

Identification of the protein kinases Pyk3 and Phg2 as regulators of the STATc-mediated response to hyperosmolarity

Cellular adaptation to changes in environmental osmolarity is crucial for cell survival. In Dictyostelium, STATc is a key regulator of the transcriptional response to hyperosmotic stress. Its phosphorylation and consequent activation is controlled by two signaling branches, one cGMP- and the other Ca(2+)-dependent, of which many signaling components have yet to be identified. The STATc stress signalling pathway feeds back on itself by upregulating the expression of STATc and STATc-regulated genes. Based on microarray studies we chose two tyrosine-kinase like proteins, Pyk3 and Phg2, as possible modulators of STATc phosphorylation and generated single and double knock-out mutants to them. Transcriptional regulation of STATc and STATc dependent genes was disturbed in pyk3(-), phg2(-), and pyk3(-)/phg2(-) cells. The absence of Pyk3 and/or Phg2 resulted in diminished or completely abolished increased transcription of STATc dependent genes in response to sorbitol, 8-Br-cGMP and the Ca(2+) liberator BHQ. Also, phospho-STATc levels were significantly reduced in pyk3(-) and phg2(-) cells and even further decreased in pyk3(-)/phg2(-) cells. The reduced phosphorylation was mirrored by a significant delay in nuclear translocation of GFP-STATc. The protein tyrosine phosphatase 3 (PTP3), which dephosphorylates and inhibits STATc, is inhibited by stress-induced phosphorylation on S448 and S747. Use of phosphoserine specific antibodies showed that Phg2 but not Pyk3 is involved in the phosphorylation of PTP3 on S747. In pull-down assays Phg2 and PTP3 interact directly, suggesting that Phg2 phosphorylates PTP3 on S747 in vivo. Phosphorylation of S448 was unchanged in phg2(-) cells. We show that Phg2 and an, as yet unknown, S448 protein kinase are responsible for PTP3 phosphorylation and hence its inhibition, and that Pyk3 is involved in the regulation of STATc by either directly or indirectly activating it. Our results add further complexities to the regulation of STATc, which presumably ensure its optimal activation in response to different environmental cues

Book Review: Chinaberry

Review of the book Chinaberry, by James Still and Silas House. Lexington: University Press of Kentucky, 2011

The South Carolina Roots of African American Thought: A Reader

The South Carolina Roots of African American Thought: A Reader. Susanna Ashton and Rhondda Robinson, editors. Columbia: University of South Carolina Press, 2014. ISBN 978-1-61117-314-7. 376 p. $49.9

Book Review: Save the Last Dance for Me: A Love Story of the Shag and the Society of Stranders

Review of the book Save the Last Dance for Me: A Love Story of the Shag and the Society of Stranders, by Phil Sawyer and Tom Poland. Columbia, SC: University of South Carolina Press, 2012